Black or AA? (middle east, border, party, races)

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by Ralph_Kirk

That description of "Uncle Tomism" is more accurate to the character of the novel, who was certainly and heroically "for" his people, but was pacifistic in his approach.

You're one of the few who gets that. Sambo was the character who acted in the fashion of what we would call an Uncle Tom. Uncle Tom gets a bad rap because post Civil War portrayals transformed him from the physically strong man in his 40s that he was in Stowe's novel, to an old, weak, balding 70 year old. Tom was meant not to be seen as weak, but as a tower of strength, who was willing to die for his beliefs, which included not snitching on his friends. Sambo was the bootlicker, and butt kisser.

[veezybell]

Originally Posted by Herodotus

You're mistaking coonery with Uncle Tomism. Some more militant blacks may consider MLK and Booker T Washington to be Toms because they didn't take a militant approach.

Coonery is acting in a negative stereotypical fashion.

I know what an Uncle Tom is (I disagree with the premise of that term, but whatever). I said that cooning/coonery was based on actions. You wrote "coonery is acting in a negative stereotypical fashion". We're on the same page.

[runswithscissors]

Originally Posted by Katiethegreat

Black is a horrible term,you have a thousand years of cells inside your body and you are all those people, you can't escape your ancestry.
Im sorry you have a total disconnection from your ancestors in african culture that is extremely sad.

WTH are you talking about?

LEMME GUESS: You're white person lecturing a black person.

There are a zillion black people who don't want to be called African Americans because they are NOT - they are Caribbean or something else.

You may be OH SO SHOCKED to hear that being African American is not such a popular thing among all people of the same ancestry - especially those who were not born in America nor even CITIZENS, and who don't even have any ancestral or cultural connection to the "African American" experience. or attitudes FFS.

Not to mention the ever louder "Black Lives Matter" crowd.

Liberals are really having problems now with their little labels. They're going with "People of Color (POC)" to generalize the group everyone is supposed to be all liberal about. But even THAT is problematic for them since Hispanics are increasingly identifying as White in the Liberal Government Census demand for an underclass.

OOPS. That's why they have to import a new underclass of victims. Who ironically will be destructive to the REAL American people who need assistance and have a legitimate gripe and continuously get screwed over. AFRICAN AMERICANS.

[skins_fan82]

I'm black. I prefer people to say "black," though I get why some non-black aren't comfortable saying it. A-A is fine, but nobody in my family, going back to my great grandparents, have been to Africa.

[Neuling]

Basically such labels are used when people want to exclude others, or conversely lump others together.
Same with whites, why would anyone in the US care whether a white person is Italian-American or Irish-American, they have probably never been to Italy or Ireland, either.

I don't like that ethnic and clan mentality at all, it is so outdated somehow...
Living in another country myself, I find it annoying when people load their good and bad stereotypes on me as soon as they know where I am from originally, as if countries were in people's genes

[Katiethegreat]

Countries are in peoples dna,there are specific markers that people have from their country of origin,race is sacred.
Most african americans are mixed race in just about any dna test and should call themselves mixed race.

[Chilipepper35]

Originally Posted by Unsettomati

You're not black, you're brown. So if you're getting all bent over shape about not being 'African', how come you aren't getting all bent out of shape over not being 'black'? Do you have a problem with the language we're using being called 'English' and not 'American'? Why not? We're not in England. We're not English. I've never been to England, and the majority of English speakers around the world have not, either.

You seem to be trying hard to find an excuse not to like 'African-American', but the only rationalizations you're dredging up just aren't consistent with your other casual use of terminology. Now, I don't care what terminology you use - I'm just pointing out that you're excuses don't hold water. I don't think you have to justify using the term 'black' to anyone. So why does someone else have to justify using the term 'African-American' to you?

Ouch.


I like African-American. I think black is just boring.

Since most AA's are multiple African Ethnic groups with a dash of white it's just easier to say African American. Imagine having to say all the ethnic groups plus 10% white or Native American or whatever.

I'm willing to bet MOST AA's have a least 75% African blood.

[Katiethegreat]

I share with a lot of african Americans at 23andme.com they are nearly all approx 25% euro.

[veezybell]

Originally Posted by Unsettomati

You're not black, you're brown. So if you're getting all bent over shape about not being 'African', how come you aren't getting all bent out of shape over not being 'black'? Do you have a problem with the language we're using being called 'English' and not 'American'? Why not? We're not in England. We're not English. I've never been to England, and the majority of English speakers around the world have not, either.

You seem to be trying hard to find an excuse not to like 'African-American', but the only rationalizations you're dredging up just aren't consistent with your other casual use of terminology. Now, I don't care what terminology you use - I'm just pointing out that you're excuses don't hold water. I don't think you have to justify using the term 'black' to anyone. So why does someone else have to justify using the term 'African-American' to you?

Thanks for quoting this Chilipepper35; I didn't even see this post until now. Lemme help you out so you can take it down a few notches, bro.

I'm not getting bent outta shape; I said I don't understand the reasoning behind using "AA". Based on this thread, there isn't a common viewpoint on why we should use that term. Black, in my opinion, is a better adjective. And don't be disingenuous; if I were to make a reference about "brown people", most would assume I was talking about Hispanics. I don't care about the English we use in the US even though it's technically a creole, so maybe it should actually be called something else (kind of like patois in Jamaica or pidgin in Hawaii).

I don't need to "try hard to find an excuse" not to like the term, whatever that means. And my rationale does hold water, just like the posters who prefer "AA" have presented valid reasons for their preference. Don't get all hostile just because you don't agree with me, lol. This is the debate forum, is it not? Are you even black/AA?

Originally Posted by Chilipepper35

Ouch.


I like African-American. I think black is just boring.

Since most AA's are multiple African Ethnic groups with a dash of white it's just easier to say African American. Imagine having to say all the ethnic groups plus 10% white or Native American or whatever.

I'm willing to bet MOST AA's have a least 75% African blood.

Black is boring? Fair enough. That's a good point. I'll feel more comfortable saying AA once I find out exactly what I am with a DNA test; I'm sticking to black for now.

Originally Posted by Katiethegreat

Countries are in peoples dna,there are specific markers that people have from their country of origin,race is sacred.
Most african americans are mixed race in just about any dna test and should call themselves mixed race.

Lol, all people are mixed raced to some degree. You think you're pure blood African? You think some white explorers from Portugal or Spain didn't slip into your gene pool somehow? My grandmother was darker than a lot of Africans I met, and I'd be willing to bet everything that even she had white/Native blood down the line.

[feck]

Deep Cover (1992):

Carver (Captain)
What is the difference between a black man and a n****r?

Russell Stevens Jr. (Street Cop)
A n****r wouldn't answer that question.